I’m looking for ideas for our next summer family holiday; possibly our last family holiday as daughter will be 17 next September. She likes most of the outdoor activities we enjoy (both mountain and road biking, kayaking (but not canoeing ‘cos that’s for old people!), climbing, canyoning etc) but is dead set against a purely activity based holiday. She wants a somewhere warm to spend some time lounging in her bikini topping up her tan and looking beautiful (teenage girls eh?!), and isn’t particularly interested in anything cultural.

I know the obvious answer ….leave her at home and us bugger off to the Alps or Dolomites, but she’s said she wants to have a family holiday. Previously we’ve compromised and got away with either Eurocamp or Neilson type holidays but we’re wanting to compromise less on our own activities next year without going full on down a couple of weeks at Morzine or similar route. For some reason either the Tatras or Dinaric Alps appeal, but don’t know whether there’ll be much to appease the youth.

Anyone faced a similar challenge?

Ardeche? Finale?

We will have the same dilemma in a year or two and have started discussions already.

We’re probably going to do a week in the Maldives (or similar) so we can chill, swim and snorkel. Then a week somewhere else – I’d do Alps/Scotland, Mrs would do some thing Italian with art and culture and stuff.

If it is likely to be the last let your daughter have a large say in it would be my approach. You’ll have many more years of doing your own thing

Sunny Beach, Bulgaria.

17 year old girls love that sort of thing. Best of luck. 😀

Lake Garda?
Austria? Lots of bathing lakes and all the action stuff.

Also Catalonia for decent riding and beaches/debauchery. (My daughter is now safely married off and is somebody else problem! RIGHT).

Another vote for the Costa Brava, there’s plenty of that kind of stuff available there. In fact most of the Spanish coast will allow activities + beach.

Lugano, Switzelralnd
Lake Como, Italy
Porto Cervo, Sardinia

Maggaluff (?!?!?!?!)

Ohhh wait, is 1biza still open ?

There then.

+1 as above
north end of lake garda, mtb , windsurfing, sailing, via ferrata (and rock climbing I presume). beaches are more like kitty litter. lake Ledro beach was nice, we did a mtb route from there then spent the afternoon on the beach and swimming.

I’ve spent an aborted Alps climbing holiday in Finale Ligure, which would also be suitable. Rock climbing and Mtb are great there, beaches and fantastic food galore.

also agree with Sierra Nevada Spain, base yourselves near the beach

+1 North end of Garda (Torbole)

That was our “compromise holiday” in June this year. Me, the Mrs and our 16y/o daughter.

4 days on the MTB (Mrs and daughter go to beach)
2 days doing via ferrata with daugher (Mrs on the beach)
6 days mooching around pretending I wasn’t missing the MTB & VF

Your daughter? My suggestions probably inappropriate then.

Italian Lakes look like they’re ticking the boxes especially as it’s somewhere that said daughter has mentioned so we could spin it to sound as if it was her idea!!

@Ecky Thump…loved the description of your hols, especially the 6 days pretending!!

Previously we’ve compromised and got away with either Eurocamp or Neilson type holidays .

Which of the Neilson resorts have you been to out of interest as they are all slightly different? The beach club resorts are more laid back than the purely activity based centre and may fit the bill.

We just got back from our second trip here:

http://www.neilson.co.uk/beach/greece/sivota

Brilliant place. Lovely scenic location. Good MTB and road riding. Water-skiing / wakeboarding centre and I think it’s their only resort with dedicated kayak coaching. Nice pool and bar area for lounging and only 10 mins from the town for nights out. There were loads of people your daughters age when we were there last week and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

We had the same dilemma earlier this year. Leaving 17-year-old junior at home for a month was not an option after his efforts last year 🙁 He wasn’t inspired by exotic destinations and I didn’t fancy a metal festival, then he announced that if we did Compostelle again (St James Way) he’d tag along. He’s as sociable outside the home as he is anti-social in it so we set off from Hendaye on the north coast route. He walked with whomever he fancied and we toddled along behind meeting up in the evening unless he wanted to stay somewhere else with people he had met. It worked, maybe there is divine intervention… .

Head for the french Alps and stay in Les Contamines Montjoie. handy for Chamonix / Walking/ biking and also has a park with lake & beach for lounging.

you could also happily leave her there for the day while you headed up the mountains.

Austria for the outdoorsy stuff, then down to Croatia (Rovinj) for the beach etc.

How much is she paying towards it? Let the decide how much control she has on it…